The effect of collaborative practice on EFL learners' reading comprehension

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of collaborative practice on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for language learners, yet many Iranian students struggle with understanding texts effectively. Collaborative practice, an approach based on social interaction and cooperative learning, has been proposed as an effective strategy to enhance comprehension. This quasi-experimental study involved 78 Iranian high school students from Shahid Bahonar High School in Khaje, East Azarbaijan, Iran. Participants were divided into an experimental group, which received collaborative reading instruction, and a control group, which followed traditional reading instruction. Pre-test and post-test scores were analyzed using independent samples t-tests. The findings indicate that the experimental group outperformed the control group in reading comprehension, suggesting that collaborative practice significantly enhances learners' ability to understand and interpret English texts. The study provides pedagogical implications for EFL instructors seeking to incorporate collaborative learning into their reading instruction.     

Keywords: Collaborative practice, reading comprehension, Iranian EFL learners, cooperative learning, language acquisition